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Chapter Text

Tartaglia didn’t know how he managed to return to his residence without being caught by the Millelith. Given that the forces of Liyue emerged victorious against Osial, they would surely have enough resources to issue an arrest warrant for him. The Traveler was there, surely they would have ratted him out...?  

Regardless, he made it in one piece. When he got inside, the first thing he did was lock the door. Immediately afterwards, all the exhaustion, shock, and emotions hit him at once. He leaned his back against the door and let himself slump down until he was sitting on the floor.  

His eyes staring into space, Tartaglia organized his thoughts one by one. 

First things first... how is he supposed to win against Rex Lapis? The Archon managed to summon strong shields spanning the entire city of Liyue with a single finger snap. And the stone spears... they appeared without any cue whatsoever. From his will alone, void portals opened from the sky, and out came those gigantic stone spears, which petrified a god made of water upon hit. On top of that, there’s that freaking meteorite. 

Both Rex Lapis and Barbatos were the remaining members of the original Seven Archons, but the gap between their powers is far too big! Tartaglia was sure he would’ve been able to take on Barbatos if he was there instead of Signora. But Rex Lapis? How was Tartaglia supposed to win against that? 

Yes, he likes a good fight. Or two. Or three. But he doesn’t want to die yet, thank you very much! 

And then... there was the fact that all this time, Zhongli-xiansheng – sweet, gentle, financially airheaded Zhongli-xiansheng... is Rex Lapis. The martial god Morax, who killed many gods back in the Archon War. 

Part of him wanted to desperately deny it, but Tartaglia witnessed it with his own eyes.  

To add to that, Zhongli had responded to Tartaglia’s pleas extremely coldly. Had he known that he was the one to unleash Osial? Tartaglia flashed back to that moment when Zhongli simply turned back at him with a cold look in his eyes. The Zhongli-xiansheng he knew would... provide him some kind of verbal assurance, at least something like, “Don’t worry, I won’t die that easily” or something like that.  

So... did Tartaglia just destroy his only cherished bond in Liyue the moment he unsealed Osial? But wait... if Zhongli had known, how would he know at that moment? His only witness was the Traveler, who had immediately bolted to the Jade Chamber... or did they? Did they come across Zhongli before reaching the Jade Chamber?  

His head hurt. A little voice in his head reprimanded him; he should know better than to jump to conclusions after a particularly stupid assumption in the Golden House. The Traveler is no liar. And so is Zhongli-xiansheng.  

The problem is, which one should he approach first? More importantly, how is he supposed to leave the house without being arrested by Millelith? 

… 

Whatever. 

If the Millelith is out to get him, there would be a knock on his door at their earliest convenience. He’ll deal with it when it comes. For now, he has his own pounding head to deal with.  

Sleep... that would be nice. 

The next... morning? Afternoon? Tartaglia’s not sure. When he woke up, the sun was high up in the sky, and an envelope had been slipped from under his door.  

Groggy as he was, Tartaglia forced himself to get off the bed and pick it up. It was... not sent from Zhongli nor the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, but from the Qixing. Sighing, he opened the envelope and took out the letter to read it. 

Something something Fatui, crimes, endangerment... yes, yes, he knows the Qixing knows that the Fatui resurrected Osial. Sure enough, Tartaglia himself (well, his alias Childe, anyways) was namedropped. Of course. Of course the Traveler would tell the Qixing. What, will his Liyuen visa and permits be revoked now, or... 

Wait. Wait a second. What the fuck did he just read? 

“In spite of your grave crimes against Liyue, Yanwang Dijun had extended his divine mercy towards you...” 

Tartaglia’s eyes went wide. He blinked once. Twice. And then rubbed his eyes just in case his drowsiness caused him to read the sentence wrong... nope. The sentence was still as he saw it: 

“In spite of your grave crimes against Liyue, Yanwang Dijun had extended his divine mercy towards you, and decreed that neither the Qixing, the Millelith, nor any law enforcement in Liyue can arrest nor execute you in relation to your crime of unsealing Osial.” 

Is he hallucinating? Tartaglia pinched himself. Nope. That sentence did not change. He slapped himself on the face. Still there. He read on... 

“The Northland Bank will still be allowed to remain operational, albeit with a few restrictions. They will be elaborated in detail in a separate letter that we have sent to the bank. Furthermore, you will also need to abide by the following conditions...” 

Tartaglia read on; the rest of the letter basically detailed his punishment: paying for the damages caused to the Jade Chamber and the Golden House, a curfew, confiscation of the Fatui’s research on Liyue and its relics, bans from certain public events including but not limited to the Rite of Descension... nothing too grave.  

Hope and uncertainty stirred in his heart; something is not right. Rex Lapis Morax, sparing him? Letting him get away with this relatively unscathed? He hopes that this is a sign that Zhongli-xiansheng still cares for him, but another part of him nagged that that conclusion is too sentimental.  

No matter how you slice it, Tartaglia’s crimes cannot simply be shrugged off from past goodwill alone.  

Once he’s done with his business in Northland Bank, he’ll need to pay Wangsheng Funeral Parlour a visit. 

But before all that, he needs to take a shower first... 

---

“A deal with the Cryo Arc-mmm?!?!”  
“Paimon!”  
“Mmm mmm mmm!” 

Zhongli winced when he witnessed the Traveler shove a meat bun into Paimon’s mouth to silence her. Instead of letting the Traveler pick the place, he really should have taken them to a restaurant with a private room. Never mind the price, he’s going to keep his Gnosis for maybe, like, 3987239472389 years from now probably. Maybe the Traveler hasn’t fully realised that he is Morax. 

A discussion like this should be held somewhere private... maybe they should ask the restaurant to pack their food and then go eat somewhere else... 

A sigh. “Sorry about that, Zhongli-xiansheng.” 
“It’s fine. We probably should have the food packed, and then go somewhere more private.” 

The three of them had been so engrossed in their discussion that they didn’t notice Tartaglia a few tables away, who nearly choked on his tea when Paimon screamed. 

A deal with the Tsaritsa? While the revelation is unexpected, it made sense. When he got to Northland Bank, he found not one, but two letters: one was the letter from the Qixing, which he had expected. The other one was a letter from the Tsaritsa that told him that he did well (??!?!!!?!?!?!?) and that he doesn’t need to get Rex Lapis’s Gnosis anymore.  

The moment he got the letters, he finished up business as fast as he could, and raced to Wangsheng Funeral Parlour... only to find out from the staff that Zhongli is not present; he’d gone out to Third-Round Knockout with the Traveler.  

Once he saw them, he made sure to get in discreetly. Luckily, he managed to find a perfect spot: not too close for the three of them to notice him, but not too far that he can’t eavesdrop. 

And eavesdrop he did. He didn’t manage to catch a lot, but Paimon’s screaming gave him enough clues to go off of. When he saw the Traveler flag a server, he paid his bill for the tea and left. He may not be able to follow them, but he can try something else. 

Meanwhile, the three ended up going to the Traveler’s room in Wangshu Inn. 

Earlier that day, the Traveler went to Wangsheng Funeral Parlour and was surprised but relieved to find Zhongli there. They’d asked him to go get lunch with them, and he agreed. Apparently, Wangsheng Funeral Parlour had just finished cleaning up the preparations of the aborted Rite of Parting. It was still afternoon, but he looked... tired. It’s not like he looks like he hasn’t slept for days, no. But his gaze seemed somewhat vacant, with a heavy hint of fatigue.  

Once Zhongli – Rex Lapis – had shared his story with the Traveler, it became apparent why. 3700 years of ruling is not easy, and he’d lost so many of his friends. And the new Archons are not interested in befriending the previous generations. To add to that, he couldn’t even get in touch with Venti – Barbatos – as well as he used to.  

A lonely existence. A dreadful existence.  

The Traveler could feel it in their heart. As much as they enjoy teasing Paimon and calling her emergency food, they’d have been doing a lot worse without her around. 

Regardless, the Rite of Descension will be re-started within a few days. These few days will probably be the only time they will be able to talk to Rex Lapis directly before he returns to being mostly unreachable. It is also the last bits of time off that Zhongli has left. 

They feel a bit bad taking that time, but Zhongli didn’t seem to mind. He looked somewhat comforted after telling the Traveler his story. He told them about Inazuma and its current status. It’s currently closed by the order of its Archon, Baal, who is also known as the Raiden Shogun. Unfortunately, none of them know a way to get into the nation. Perhaps a chance or an idea will present itself in time.  

Zhongli seemed intent to linger with them to talk – being Rex Lapis must be very lonely – and so they talked about a few things. The Traveler started by telling  Zhongli all about what happened after they split up in Liyue Harbour yesterday; how they went to the Golden House and fought Childe a grand total of three times. 

“Dude has some serious stamina. Hydro Childe, Electro Delusion Childe, and then titan Childe? He tired himself the hell out after transforming into that big... weird Foul Legacy thing in the end, but still. It took me beating him up three times to get to that point. And worst of all, he seemed so unapologetic about fighting us based on a wrong conclusion. Please allow me a moment to be honest...  I don’t hate him, but I want to kick him in the balls.” 

Zhongli felt kind of bad for chuckling, but he couldn’t resist.  

“Although it’s kind of weird, though. If this whole shebang was planned between you and the Tsaritsa, how is he not informed?” the Traveler continued. 
“Exactly! That would’ve spared everyone a lot of trouble.” Paimon added. 
“Not necessarily,” Zhongli replied, “I expressly requested for Signora to keep him in the dark. Given the Tsaritsa’s account on his personality, everything would not go well if he knew everything. He’d likely pick a fight with me directly, and there would be no test for Liyue. And judging by what happened between him and you, that was a reasonable precaution to take.” 
“I can imagine...” the Traveler responded.  

Their memories of yesterday were still very vivid. There would indeed be no trial for Liyue if Childe had gone to fight Zhongli directly. He’d be taken out in one finger snap. That is, if Zhongli didn’t opt to just put up shields, and do whatever until Childe exhausts himself trying to break the shield and failing. 

“Even so, now that it’s over and the deal is off, maybe you should, you know, go tell Childe everything?” Paimon asked. 
“That wouldn’t be necessary. The Cryo Archon will be sending him a correspondence regarding the matter. It should have arrived by now.” Zhongli answered. 
“Well, in that case... but you two seem to be close. Friends, even. So I think it wouldn’t hurt to see him and talk to him about it. If he goes nuts, I’m pretty sure you can handle it. And if you need my help, I’m game.”  
“I’ll let you know if I need it.” 

After some time, the meeting came to an end and Zhongli returned to the funeral parlour to find a letter addressed to him. 

“Meet me in yesterday’s spot in Mt. Tianheng. By the time you read this, I'm already there waiting. 
 
- Childe 

PS: If you don’t come by sundown, I’ll come to you instead.”  

----- 

“Sorry about dragging you around, Xiansheng,” Tartaglia spoke when he saw Zhongli approaching, “Or should I be calling you Rex Lapis instead? You sure had everyone fooled.” 

Zhongli paused for a few seconds, but then smiled sheepishly. 

that was when tartaglia’s heart did somersaults.

h. why. xiansheng. that is NOT FAIR!!! NOT FAIR AT ALL!!! FUCK!!! H... 

HE’S REHEARSED INTERNALLY FOR THIS CONVERSATION!!! COMPOSED A MINI RANT ABOUT HOW UPSET HE HAD BEEN OVER THIS DECEPTION!!! AND NOW!!!!! ALL OF IT WAS JUST GONE. FORMATTED. YEET. GOODBYE. BLANK. WIPED CLEAN. NYOOM IT GOES. BECAUSE OF ONE. SINGLE. SMILE. SHDHDJFJFKFJFKDJFKDJFK... 

“You’re not sorry about it at all, aren’t you, Xiansheng.” Tartaglia remarked with a strained smile, his eye twitching. 
“And I suppose you’re not sorry at all about nearly destroying Liyue, either.” Zhongli shot back, a hint of amusement in his voice. 
“It was part of my duty towards the Tsaritsa. Any personal feelings or regrets come second. Besides, you’re not upset about it, yourself. It was part of your plan. Or rather, your deal with the Tsaritsa. Wasn’t it?” 
The glint of amusement in Zhongli’s eyes disappeared, “How did you know?” 
“Paimon screamed pretty loud back there in the restaurant. But that’s about all that I got. Let’s cut to the chase... I’m here to hear the rest from you. Considering that you even told the Traveler, an outside person, then surely it would be fine to tell someone who was involved in it, wouldn’t it?” 
“Very well. While the terms of the deal are to be kept secret, I will tell you everything that I can disclose.” 
Tartaglia grinned, “Then come here and sit with me.” 

And sit he does. Right beside Tartaglia. Who proceeded to hAVE AN INTERNAL STRUGGLE WITH HIMSELF BECAUSE HE WANTS TO HUG... BUT HE CAN’T... HE’S SUPPOSED TO STILL BE MAD... h 

at least not now. 

“So, where would you like me to start?” Zhongli asked. 
“Maybe you can start by telling me why I was not informed. Since, you know, that’s why we’re here right now.”  
“I see. Prior to the deal, both me and the Cryo Archon had discussed about what to do regarding the test for Liyue. While she recommended you especially, she also suggested, based on your personality, that you be kept in the dark. Otherwise you’d end up picking a fight with me directly, she said. All those discussions happened prior to us meeting. So I decided to trust her judgement and asked Signora to make sure that you don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes.” 
“Signora was in on it too??!?!? Ugh...” 

Since simply saying sorry doesn’t feel right in this situation, Zhongli flashed Tartaglia an apologetic smile. “Perhaps if we’d known each other earlier, things would have been different. But what’s done is done. You did a good job, Childe.” 
“Hmph,” Tartaglia looked away to hide the creeping blush on his cheeks, “Since it’s the Tsaritsa who told you... nevermind. It’s not like you actually set out to fool me. But... I know the terms need to be kept secret, but how much of it is secret? Is it related to your Gnosis? It has to be, right?” 
“Correct. While I can’t disclose what she offered in return for my Gnosis, that was what she wanted. But she can only get it in one condition: if Liyue could prove themselves able to defend themselves against a powerful threat without me.” 

“I see... that’s why you needed Osial unsealed. But then why don’t you just do it yourself? The Sigils of Permission were supposed to be penned by Rex Lapis. So why’d you need me to do it?” 
“If I had done it myself, the sigils would be very, very strong. Too strong for such a trial. I am not the same Rex Lapis from back then. With your sigils, Osial had to gradually regain his power. It would give the Qixing time to prepare and strategize. But if it was my sigils, they wouldn’t have that time.” 
“Fair... fair enough.” 

Zhongli-xiansheng isn’t the same Rex Lapis from millennia ago. Everyone knows that the more diligently an Archon rules its territory, the more powerful they become. As of now, he’d spent 3700 years ruling Liyue. 3700 years and counting. But then why... 

“Why would you give up your Gnosis, Xiansheng? Isn’t it very important, in more ways than one?” 
Zhongli’s gaze looked wistful this time. Almost... sad. “Gods get tired too, Childe.” 

Oh.  

“For a while, I was torn. I could see that the age of mankind is dawning, while the age of the gods and Adepti is ending,” Zhongli continued, “I thought that maybe, I’ve finally finished my duties. Maybe Liyue is ready to stand on its own two feet, somewhat like Mondstadt. But I hadn’t realized that humans do not have enough raw power to stand up to Archon-level threats. Even if the people of Liyue manage to govern themselves completely eventually, I as well as the other Adepti will always need to stand vigil over the nation, to do the things that humans cannot do.” 

Tartaglia remained silent. He’d done his research on Rex Lapis, and has researched enough to know that Morax’s life was not easy. From the Archon Wars, the deaths and departures of various other gods, including five of the original Seven... not to mention the Goddess of Dust Guizhong. 

Now that he knows that Zhongli-xiansheng is Rex Lapis, Tartaglia knows why Guili Plains is called as such. Guizhong... must have meant a lot to him, and vice versa. And after paying the scholar Soraya to share her research at some point, he knows for certain that the goddess is long gone. 

In short... Rex Lapis has gone through a lot of heartbreak and struggles in his long life. And he had been ruling Liyue all alone, as the Adepti tend to stay on the sidelines. And he’s been like that for many, many years. 

Tartaglia sighed, “Being Rex Lapis must be very lonely.” 
Zhongli wanted to open his mouth to say that he’ll always have the people of Liyue with him, but deep inside, he knows that Childe was right. So what he said instead was, “You’re not wrong.” 

They sat in heavy silence for a few minutes. 

“The Rite of Descension is going to be held next week, isn’t it?” Tartaglia broke the silence. 
“Yes.” was the reply from Zhongli. 
“So the rest of this week is... all the time you have to be human, before you go back to being Rex Lapis again.” 
“Correct.” 

There was more silence as Tartaglia struggled with himself, to push himself to tell Zhongli what he’d always wanted to say— 

“Is that all you wanted to know?” Zhongli asked. 
Tartaglia laughed briefly. A slightly bitter laugh with a tinge of sadness to it. “Eager to leave, aren’t you, Zhongli-xiansheng... you can’t just steal my heart and then leave me just like this.” 

Zhongli’s eyes went wide and his mouth opened slightly in pure, unadulterated shock. He felt as if he just gotten struck by lightning. 

“What?” 
Tartaglia frowned, “Did I stutter? I know you heard me.” 
“Oh... oh no. I...” 

Seeing the expression on Zhongli’s face and the horror in his voice, dread pooled in Tartaglia’s heart. 

“I never knew. Nor have I ever intended to. But I’m sorry. I cannot return your feelings.” 

His heart sank. But it didn’t hurt as much as he expected it to. Perhaps because he’s ready for this answer. A Fatui Harbinger and the Geo Archon? Even if Zhongli manages to outlive the Tsaritsa, he’d outlive Tartaglia long before that. But... 

“I know that I’m just a mortal with less than a century left to live. But I’m willing to spend all my remaining years with you. Even if I can only see you once a year or something, I’m fine with it. At least for as long as I live, you don’t have to be alone.” 
“Childe, you’re still young. You still have a future ahead of you. It’s better for your future if you find someone else and settle down with them. Someone else who will always put you first.” 
“As Rex Lapis, I know you’ll always put Liyue first. But even so, I’m fine with that! I know to separate duty and personal feelings too...” 
“Listen to yourself just now, Childe. Are you sure that it’s not your loneliness talking?” 

Both of them were silent as Tartaglia’s mind paused to digest what he just heard. 

“Excuse me?” 
Zhongli sighed, “I know life hasn’t been easy for you. You don’t have close bonds aside from your family in Snezhnaya. And in Liyue, so far I have never seen you around other people besides your subordinates as well as me—” 
“How dare you? Do you have any idea how important you are to me? I’m not an asocial wreck who’d cling to just anyone who shows me kindness!” 
“Childe...” 
“And you? You’ve been lonely for so long. You wanted to give up your Gnosis because you’re carrying a heavy burden, with no one to share it with. You always took care of Liyue, but who’s going to take care of you?” 
“It’s something that I will have to deal with. You don’t need to get yourself involved. Just forget about me and live happily, Childe.” 

Tartaglia squeezed his eyes shut, then took a deep breath. 

“Make a contract with me, Rex Lapis. Today, we fight. If I win, you’ll be keeping me by your side. If I lose... then I’ll give it up. Regardless of what happens, you still win something.” 

Zhongli wanted to tell him no, wanted to tell him not to fight a battle that he will lose. But he saw the fire in Childe’s eyes, and decides against it. 

“I accept. But in one condition.” 
“And what would that be?” 
“It cannot be a fight to the death.” 

Tartaglia’s expression softened a bit hearing that.  

“I accept.” 

Chapter Text

They left Mt. Tianheng and went to the abandoned Mingyun Village.  

While the terrain there is not exactly flat, it’s one of the few isolated places in Liyue that isn’t a sacred spot. Other spots are within the line of sight of guests in Wangshu Inn, or the city of Liyue itself.  

An alternative would be Tianqiu Valley, but there are a few Fatui agents situated there, and Tartaglia was really not in the mood to talk to people today, even if he could make them vacate the place with one sentence. 

“We’ve come this far, but neither of us have decided on a win condition yet.” Zhongli pointed out, breaking the silence once they arrived. 

Tartaglia went silent for a little while to think. For all his occasional airheadedness, Zhongli-xiansheng can really be thorough when he wants or needs to be; he had helpfully healed Tartaglia on the way (“It won’t really be a fair fight if you’re still recovering from your fight against the Traveler, will it?”). It helps that a contract is involved. This time, it’s his turn to not have thought this through... 

“How about this,” Zhongli answered instead, “You win if you manage to draw my blood. Even a single drop counts. Do you accept this condition?”  

For a second, Tartaglia wanted to remark that it sounded too easy, but then he remembered what happened literally yesterday, and decided: fair enough. And with Zhongli’s many, many layers of clothing, it would be hard to tell if he’d bruised him. And Tartaglia can’t bear to aim for his face.  

“Yeah. I do.”  

While he still brought his bow, Tartaglia won’t be using it often. It’s not the time to play around. But that’s exactly why he brought it; it’s just in case he needed it.  

“Very well.”  

Zhongli dematerialized his polearm and started levitating a few centimetres off the ground, after which three small stone spears materialised behind the left side of his back.  

The spears were black and double-ended; one end longer than the other, the longer end jutting outwards. Interestingly, both ends were connected by a nearly-indescribable ball joint of sorts. It’s not a ball joint per se; more like the ends were disconnected, with only golden crystals of pure Geo energy between them.  

Behind the right side of his back were... strange-looking things that look like crude blades of Geo energy...? There were three of them, and they seem to form something like a bird wing.  

“In another world, I would likely be called a Herrscher,” Zhongli shared some trivia out of habit, “I believe this would be sufficient, for now.”  
“You lost me at ‘Herrscher,’ but if you say so, then I have no objections for now.”  Tartaglia responded while manifesting dual Hydro blades.  
“I suppose you’re ready?” 
“Ready when you are.”  
“Then, let’s begin.”  

With a murky gaze and a heavy heart, Zhongli levitated away from Tartaglia to keep some distance. Even when he’s using a small fraction of his powers, he’s still afraid he might accidentally kill the other. Regardless, Tartaglia is still a Fatui Harbinger; his powers were granted by an Archon. A younger and weaker one, but still.  

Three small void portals appeared above Tartaglia, and he immediately started putting up Hydro shields. Just like how it was with the fight against Osial, stone spears shot out of the portals. Even with shields up, Tartaglia tried to deflect them with his blades. But he only managed to deflect two; the third one managed to break his shield and graze his arm.  

He could only manage a brief hiss of pain before three more void portals opened above him. Since his shield can’t withstand them, he flash-stepped away from the portals, and the spears hit the ground instead. Tartaglia continued to flash-step until he managed to get close to Zhongli.  

“You’re gonna regret underestimating me!” he cried out as he started to slash at Zhongli’s torso. 

Or at least, tried to.  

Zhongli managed to block it with the palm of his hand. The blade immediately turned into rock and crumbled away, while his gloves remain unscathed. Tartaglia’s eyes went wide; he should have known this would happen. If Zhongli could petrify Osial, who’s to say he couldn’t do the same with his blades? Tartaglia jumped backwards to keep some distance, while Zhongli lowered his hand.  

“Do you yield?” the Archon asked. 
“No way,” Tartaglia replied as a dome of water encased him, “I didn’t come here to chicken out within the first five minutes!”  

When the dome of water disappeared, his light grey clothes turned dark grey, and the mask on the side of his head was now covering his face proper. Instead of his Hydro Vision, there was an Electro Delusion on his belt.  

Although Zhongli tried to keep a straight face, his worry and dismay still showed in the expression of his face.  

“You shouldn’t be using that power, Childe.” 
“Xiansheng, please, we know that duty will demand me to use it again and again,” Tartaglia replied while manifesting an Electro double-edged polearm, “Let’s see you petrify this now!” 

Seeing that Tartaglia had unleashed the first of his two trump cards, Zhongli stopped levitating and manifested the Vortex Vanquisher, while the floating spears and appendages disappeared. But instead of charging at him like Zhongli expected he would, Tartaglia summoned a big whale made of water.  

Zhongli quickly opened a void portal and shot a stone spear at the whale, petrifying it immediately. But when it crumbled into rocks, Tartaglia was not within his line of sight. Which meant the whale must be-- 

Turning back, Zhongli was immediately face to face with Tartaglia, who had his Electro polearm raised. Before Tartaglia could actually attack, however, he was met with a swift roundhouse kick to the face. The blow was harder than both of them expected, and a chunk of the Fatui mask broke off, revealing a pretty bad bruise on the Harbinger’s cheek. Not only that, the side of his head hurt as well. His head was pounding with pain.  

It took a good amount of effort for Tartaglia to remain standing; his Electro polearm dissipated immediately.  

With a battle cry, Tartaglia manifested two Electro blades, one in each hand. Zhongli leaped backwards; he doesn’t want to accidentally pop the other’s head like a water balloon, so he has to opt for ranged attacks and indirect hits.  

As Tartaglia closed in on him, void portals opened around Zhongli. But instead of being launched towards Tartaglia, the spears descended vertically, forming some kind of circle around the Archon. Tartaglia only had a second to notice the Geo crystals on the spears pulsing before a powerful shockwave launched him backwards, a few distances away from Zhongli.  

He landed on his back, and that shockwave hurt like hell – it was as if his entire body was punched so hard by a gigantic fist, to the point that the dull pain reached all the way to his back.  

“I can’t... fall here...”  

As he struggled to get up, Tartaglia gritted his teeth in frustration. Zhongli didn’t even put up any kind of shield around himself, nor did he attempt to generate elemental crystals to protect himself. He – Rex Lapis – had given himself handicaps, and yet...  

Zhongli, on the other hand, was desperately hoping that the shockwave just now didn’t break any bones. But more than that, he hoped that Tartaglia won’t end up unleashing Foul Legacy. Zhongli knows that hope is empty – he knows that the Harbinger will use it, but still... he doesn’t want him to.  

After finally standing up with great effort, Tartaglia calculated his next move: water arrows won’t do any good since Zhongli will just petrify them. The tactic of using Monoceros Caeli as a diversion won’t work a second time. And Tartaglia hasn’t been able to touch a single hair on Zhongli’s head, let alone inflict a Riptide mark. The solution is obvious. 

Tartaglia proceeded to charge forward with an Electro polearm in hand. Zhongli started to summon the stone spears around him again, as if to use the shockwave another time. Seeing that, Tartaglia turned sideways, flash-stepping a few distances away from the circle of stone spears. He took out his bow, and started firing Electro arrows. In response, Zhongli leaped sideways to dodge, and the stone spears disappeared.  

“Hah! Made you dodge!”  

Tartaglia thanked his past self for deciding to learn the bow. He’s still not too good at it, but at least his skills are good enough. He continued to fire Electro arrows at Zhongli, who constantly dodged and deflected them. However, the Archon didn’t make any effort to get closer to Tartaglia to attack; all he did to attack was simply open void portals and shooting stone spears, some of which Tartaglia managed to dodge. The ones he didn’t manage to dodge only managed to cut him, and not deeply at that.  

“What’s wrong, Xiansheng?” the Harbinger taunted, “Why are you so afraid of getting close to me? Scared that I’d actually win this?”  

Zhongli’s only response was a sigh before he started to dash forwards with his polearm in hand.  

With the distance between them finally decreasing, Tartaglia grinned widely as he manifested a pair of Electro blades in each hand.  

“Now that’s more like it!” 

He ran towards Zhongli, and both of them started to attack; neither hit each other as their weapons clashed.  

“Good afternoon, Xiansheng!”  

Tartaglia walked into the funeral parlour on a sunny afternoon. Zhongli looked up at him from his desk, silently acknowledging his arrival.   

“Want to get lunch today?” Tartaglia offered.  
“What happened to your arm?” Zhongli asked, his eyes darting towards the scratch on Tartaglia’s forearm. 
“Oh, this? Meh, it will heal on its own. Happens all the time. Some people get really nasty when debts are involved, after all.”  
“Wait here.” Zhongli said before leaving his desk. 
“Okay...?” 

The consultant walked towards a drawer, and took out a first aid kit.   

“Oh, no no no no! You don’t need to do all that. I’ll be fine, really!” Tartaglia said, waving his hands. 
“I assume you will have many more similar jobs to do after this,” Zhongli responded, “And if you’re not careful, that scratch can be infected.” 
“Zhongli-xiansheng, I’ve been tussling around since I was a little boy. I’m not some fragile young master. I’m going to be okay.”  
“We’re not going anywhere unless you get that treated.”  
“Ah... well, okay then. If you insist...”  

Just as he expected, Zhongli was gentle in treating his wound. Somehow, he managed to clean Tartaglia’s wound quickly, yet gently. The consultant then took out a bottle of medicine smaller than his own hand.  

“This is going to sting. You can grip the chair’s armrest if you need to.” 
“Haha, I don’t think it’ll hurt at all. You worry too much—OOOWOWOWOWOW! HOLY SHIT! AAAAH!” 

Tartaglia swore he could hear Zhongli suppressing a chuckle. That just now hurt so much, he swore he was going to cry—  

“Xi...Xiansheng, what... what did you just use on me?” 
“Liyuen medicine. Its application hurts more than average medicines, but it heals wounds much faster. Knowing you and your line of work, this would be more suitable for you. Perhaps you might want to get some for yourself when you have the time? It is also quite intense in general; a single bottle can last you months. Now, do stay still. I’m not done yet.” 
“No way—OOOOOW OW OW OW! OWWW!” 

Just as Zhongli had said, the ordeal was over in less than 3 minutes. The pain was quite intense, but it was over quickly. Even so, Tartaglia ended up forgetting that he came to Wangsheng to invite Zhongli out for lunch. He was so dazed...  

“It’s best that you don’t move around too much, Childe. Just stay here. I can borrow the kitchen here for a while. Are you fine with wonton soup?” 
“Eh? Ah... yeah. Sounds good. Thanks...”  

As he watched the consultant leave for the kitchen, Tartaglia couldn’t help but think that it’s been a while since someone other than Fatui doctors took care of him. It’s also been a while since someone took care of him without him even asking to—  

He had the advantage, Tartaglia thought. With one Electro blade blocking the Vortex Vanquisher, his other hand was free. He positioned his other hand to plunge the blade into Zhongli’s waist, but the latter was quicker and kneed Tartaglia on the stomach. Before Tartaglia could regain his bearings, Zhongli pushed him off before stabbing the Vortex Vanquisher on the ground. Immediately, golden Geo spears shot out from the ground like spikes, inflicting cuts on the Harbinger’s legs. Once their job was done, the spears disappeared immediately, and Tartaglia fell to his knees. 

“I can... still fight...” 

He got up again, and his eyes met Zhongli’s. Tartaglia could see that the Archon wanted him to stop so badly. As if he is silently pleading him to stop; as if he couldn’t bear hurting him more than this--  

“Enough of this.”  

With that declaration, Zhongli’s body started emitting a golden glow. Tartaglia started chuckling to himself; this is exactly like yesterday. His blood started pumping. Personal issues aside, a part of him is still giddy that Rex Lapis is slowly unleashing more and more of his power.  

“Only I decide when I’m giving up, Rex Lapis!”  

Hearing that, Zhongli gritted his teeth. He’s indulged the young man enough. It’s better to just end this quickly. The more the fight drags on, the longer the Delusion will be active. Seeing the newly-ignited fire in Zhongli’s amber eyes, Tartaglia manifested an Electro polearm. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, however, when Zhongli dematerialised his own polearm. And then, the crystals on his gloves started to glow.  

Regardless, the only thing he can do is fight.  

The Harbinger charged towards Zhongli, who dodged the incoming strike before swiftly landing a blow against Tartaglia’s right shoulder – so as not to hit the sternum or close to his heart – with his palm. Geo energy pulsed from his hand, causing numbing pain. Letting out a battle cry at the top of his lungs, Tartaglia materialized an Electro blade in his left hand, but Zhongli was faster. He grabbed Tartaglia’s forearm, flipped him over, and threw him on the ground.  

Gritting his teeth, Tartaglia used the Electro blade to prop himself up. He then summoned the water whale again, which Zhongli then petrified just like before. But unlike before, the Harbinger leaped onto the petrified whale, and jumped off it just before it crumbled. He threw the Electro blade down towards Zhongli, who quickly materialized his polearm and deflected it. Tartaglia then plunged down, a new Electro blade in his good hand. Blade and polearm clashed again as Zhongli blocked the plunging attack.  

It was Mid-Autumn, a rare day off for almost every business in Liyue. Even Northland Bank only operated for half a day. Not knowing what to do afterwards, Tartaglia had wandered off aimlessly until he came across the consultant in the night market.  

Zhongli then briefly explained the Mid-Autumn festival to the clueless Snezhnayan: it’s a festival which is celebrated by gathering together with family and eating mooncakes together. It is also celebrated with lanterns and worshipping the moon.   

It’s not originally a Teyvatan custom, but travellers from faraway lands had brought it to Liyue, and it quickly gained popularity. It helped that the culture of those travellers’ homeland was very similar to Liyue.  

“Gathering with family, huh...”   

From the tone of his voice and the sad smile on his face, it was clear that Tartaglia missed his family in Snezhnaya.   

“Man. My little siblings would love to see this place...”  
“Maybe next year. But for now, why not send some mooncakes over to Snezhnaya?”  

Both of them went around the stalls. As they looked at the different varieties of mooncakes, Zhongli explained that the standard ones are filled with lotus seed paste. The more expensive ones have egg yolks inside. Some sellers have decided to get creative, and filled the mooncakes with other kinds of fillings such as mung bean paste or red bean paste.   

“It’s up to you, Childe. I must tell you though, while the egg yolks add a nice savoury touch to the mooncakes, it might contain too much cholesterol for children.” 
“In that case... can we mix and match?” 

The seller hadn’t minded, and told the two men that mix and match would cost them extra. Tartaglia didn’t mind that either, although he was starting to feel concerned when Zhongli picked out one of the more expensive gift boxes. Regardless, this is for his siblings. It’s okay for Tartaglia to splurge—  

“Excellent, here’s the money.”  

Before Tartaglia could even reach for his wallet, Zhongli had handed the money to the seller. Not only did he not see Zhongli taking out any kind of wallet or purse, it was the exact amount for the cakes and box. No more, no less. It’s as if the Mora just appeared out of thin air. As the seller decided not to comment on it and happily accepted the money, Tartaglia decided to keep his mouth shut as well.   

“Ah, um... thanks, Zhongli-xiansheng.” 
“It was my pleasure.” 

They spent a few minutes walking around in awkward silence before Zhongli spoke up again.   

“Do you know the story behind the Mid-Autumn festival, Childe?”  
“No... not yet, at least.” 
“Long story short, it was about a moon goddess called Chang’e. She was the wife of a famous archer called Hou Yi...”  

Zhongli went on to tell the story of Hou Yi and the ten suns. The ten suns one day decided to rise at the same time. Unfortunately, they ended up scorching the earth, and the hero Hou Yi was tasked by the king to stop them.  

He tried to reason with them at first, but they refused to listen. As a result, he had no choice but to shoot nine of the ten suns, saving the land and the people. As a reward, he was given the pill of immortality.  

After that, there were two versions of the story: one, he became a king... a tyrannical king. His wife Chang’e was terrified of what her husband would do if he was immortal. The second version was that Hou Yi’s treacherous apprentice found out about the pill and wanted it for himself. Chang’e refused to let the apprentice have the pill and swallowed it herself.   

Regardless, the end was the same: Chang’e floated to the moon after consuming the pill, never to be reunited with her husband again. Hou Yi would pine for his wife every year, offering mooncakes in her name. Even so, he can never see her again.  

“That was a surprisingly sad story for such a joyous festival,” Tartaglia remarked.  
“That it is. I suppose it teaches us not to take our loved ones for granted. Personally, I find the first version much sadder than the second.” Zhongli replied. 
“How so? I mean, while it is sad that Chang’e needed to escape, in the end she’s free to live her life on the moon, right? While the second version is an outright tragedy...”  
“Hou Yi becoming a tyrant meant that Chang’e practically lost the man she loved. The husband she adored was no more when he lost himself.” Zhongli explained. 
“Huh, I guess so... but do you think she still loves him despite everything, Xiansheng?” 
The consultant looked up to the moon, “Only she herself knows.”  

Both of them walked on, eventually leaving the bustling night market.   

“Are you going back home to celebrate with your family, Zhongli-xiansheng?” Tartaglia asked. 
“I... not really. I live alone.” Zhongli responded.  
“Haha... I live alone too. In that case, want to crash at my place? It would suck to spend Mid-Autumn alone. Even if you don’t know what to do, at least you can tell me stories, yeah?” 
Zhongli chuckled. “That sounds wonderful, thank you.”  

Zhongli quickly shoved Tartaglia off, sending the Harbinger tumbling backwards into the grass. He managed to regain his footing, but before he could think about what to do, Zhongli was already in front of him. Just as their eyes met, Zhongli dealt another blow with his palm, striking Tartaglia in the stomach again. He was launched backwards, down the cliff, before finally splashing down on the shallow water in front of an abandoned mine.  

It should be over by now. Tartaglia should be out cold with that blow, and falling over that distance to boot. Given his durability, it shouldn’t kill him. It’s a good thing that there’s a Rex Lapis statue nearby. Zhongli could bring him there to heal him quickly, then take him back to Liyue to patch him up some more-- 

“Hah... hah... hah...”  

Zhongli’s eyes widened when he saw Tartaglia walking up the cliff, panting all the while. His legs and arms had become... monstrous, and much bigger than before. His torso is in the process of transforming. Is this the Foul Legacy that the Traveler spoke of?  

“He tired himself the hell out after transforming into that big... weird Foul Legacy thing in the end...”  

As Tartaglia’s torso finished transforming, Zhongli gritted his teeth.  

“Why are you fighting so hard, Childe? Why are you risking your life to keep someone that can’t even give his all to you? We haven’t known each other for more than just a few years. I haven’t even done something as important as saving your life or freeing you from torment. But here you are fighting until you’re bloody and battered, just for what little of me I may or may not be able to give you--” 

“Zhongli-xiansheng!”  

Unable to fight it any longer, tears started streaming down Tartaglia’s face.  

“You really don’t understand... how important you are to me, do you? I can’t just leave you alone...” 
“No, I don’t understand, Childe. If I were you, I’d stop this madness and move on with my life.” 
“And if I move on, what about you, Xiansheng? You’ll return to being Rex Lapis, taking care of the entire nation alone for who knows how long. And if I fuck right off like you wanted, who will be the one to take care of you?” 
“You speak as if mortals can take care of Archons, Childe. You saw it for yourself yesterday. My burden is not something that can be shared with you, or anyone else for that matter.” 
“Even so... it doesn’t matter what you are. Even if you’re Rex Lapis Morax, the oldest Archon in Teyvat, you’ll always be Zhongli-xiansheng to me. And I know for sure that when I love someone, like hell I’m going to leave them alone to suffer!”  

After Tartaglia finished his sentence, his transformation was finally complete.  

Zhongli knew he had to finish this fast before Tartaglia ends up killing himself from the strain. And he understands that the other would want to win this as well.  

Foul Legacy is much bigger than normal Tartaglia, which will help him withstand blows better – the Harbinger hopes that with this transformation, he will have some sort of advantage. He can manifest longer polearms too. Maybe with this, he can just scratch Zhongli a little, and then this fight can be won.  

Dashing forwards, he summoned two watery blades, which Zhongli dodged by jumping up really high. The Archon remained levitating in the sky; his figure glowing an intense gold. Without wasting any time, Tartaglia proceeded to fly up towards him with the polearm, giving it everything he’s got. But with only one slash from Zhongli, not only did his Electro polearm dissipate, his armoured torso was also cut like it was butter. The blow even launched Tartaglia backwards from the impact. 

And then, just like yesterday, the sky opened up above Zhongli. Still reeling from the pain and shock, Tartaglia could only stare and reach out his hand towards the Archon as a cubical meteorite was launched from the void, right at him.  

It struck true, and the Foul Legacy form was petrified. It then crumbled away like an exoskeleton, revealing a barely conscious Tartaglia, who started falling from the sky. The last thing he saw and felt before drifting off was Zhongli taking his hand, his expression steely with a hint of sadness. A smile formed on his lips before his eyes closed.  

Chapter Text

When Tartaglia came to, he was on his bed. It was nighttime, and the lights were on. He could see that he was all alone in the bedroom. He didn’t feel any of the wounds he’d sustained – Zhongli had probably healed him. All he felt instead was some drowsiness and fatigue.  

His heart sank. Tartaglia lost the fight, after all. He’s not going to see Zhongli-xiansheng ever again. This is just something he has to accept. But at the very least, doesn’t he deserve a chance to say goodbye? With some effort, he turned over to face the bedside table so that he can curl into himself. But then he noticed that on the desk near his bedside table was... a brown bundle? No, two.  

Slowly, Tartaglia got off the bed to inspect the bundles on the desk. The moment he approached the desk, his eyes widened in surprise. 

It’s Zhongli-xiansheng's (neatly folded) coat and vest!!!! With the tie neatly folded on top of the vest!!!!!! WTF!!!!!!!! How’d they get here?!?!?!?!?! That can only mean one thing, can’t it!!!!!!!!! 

Tartaglia’s heart raced as he walked as fast as he could to leave the bedroom. Once he opened the bedroom door, he could smell something cooking. It smelled... really nice— 

“Childe, you shouldn’t move around too much.” 

ZHONGLI-XIANSHENG!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE’S HERE????!?!?!?!?!? HOW????? WHY???? H... 

“I can’t help it,” Tartaglia replied as he started walking towards the kitchen, “You know how I am--” 

oh, tsaritsa. 

just as tartaglia thought he couldn’t malfunction any more than this. 

what greeted him in the kitchen was... was... 

first things first! tartaglia was lucky that zhongli-xiansheng was focusing on whatever he’s cooking. because... he’s dressed down. no vest, no coat. just the dress shirt and pants. which meant that his... plump posterior... was not covered by the usually ever-present coattails.  

and so. tartaglia's brain turned itself off.  

BECAUSE!!! EVEN IF HE WON’T ADMIT IT IF ASKED!!! he... kind of wanted to see That Ass. It’s just... he noticed sometimes how... curvy Zhongli-xiansheng is down there and because Tartaglia is a healthy young man, he... kind of wants to... confirm it for himself???  

and oh lord morax almighty does he want to squeeze That Ass. but he won’t, because it’s crossing the line. so he settled for staring. Very Intently.  

thank you, tsaritsa.  

“Zhongli-xiansheng,” Tartaglia said, his brain-to-mouth filter having been obliterated, “Is this a dream? Have I died and gone to heaven?”  
“No, Childe, this is still the land of the living. I carried you back home. How are you feeling?” Zhongli replied, and turned back to face Tartaglia.  

XIANSHENG!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF CRITICAL HIT DID YOU JUST DEAL???  

Zhongli-xiansheng was always pretty and well-dressed, yes, but when he’s dressed down like this, down to his dress shirt and pants... the top two buttons undone, showing his collarbones... is just too much for his heart AAAAAH!  

“I feel like I just died and then went to heaven.” 

In response, Zhongli chuckled and lightly pinched Tartaglia’s cheek. “Go back to bed. Dinner won’t be ready for a while.” 

Tartaglia just hummed as he tried to look over Zhongli’s shoulder, to see what’s boiling in the pot. He could see pieces of ham and bamboo shoot. Tartaglia does not have bamboo shoot in his pantry. 

“Did you go out shopping, Xiansheng?” 
“Just a brief trip. But yes, I did.” 

Ah... how spoiled Tartaglia feels right now. But something doesn’t feel right.  

“How long have I been out?” he asked. 
“About 4 hours.” 

Four hours. Zhongli-xiansheng spent 4 hours looking after him, when he could have just healed him and then leave him alone with some takeout. Then... 

“I’m happy, but... why’d you go so far for me, when I lost?” 

Zhongli’s expression turned grim immediately, and he looked down for a second before his eyes went back to Tartaglia. 

“This will be the last time we’ll see each other properly, Childe.” 

Oh. Yeah. Right... 

That’s right. Zhongli-xiansheng will return to his place as the Geo Archon. And on top of that, Tartaglia couldn’t even scratch him, let alone draw blood. He’d lost. So this... can be considered as some sort of consolation.  

“At the very least, I wanted to comfort you a little, and give you a chance to say goodbye properly.” 

But he doesn’t want to say goodbye, Tartaglia thought. However, that was their contract. He has to give it up and let Zhongli go, as he promised.  

The Harbinger smiled sadly, “You really are too kind. Isn’t this the last few days off you have as a human? And yet you’re spending almost an entire day fussing over me. Are you sure you’re fine with it?” 
“I am. There is no need for you to worry. If it’s time for me to go, I’ll let you know.” 

Warmth pooled in Tartaglia’s heart hearing that. At least Zhongli won’t disappear on him without any kind of warning.  

“That said, it’s quite late. I hope you don’t mind if I stay the night.” Zhongli continued. 
Tartaglia couldn’t help but laugh, “What kind of question is that? Of course I don’t mind.” 

The Harbinger is thankful for his high class residence, which comes with a guest room. As much as he wanted them to share a bed, it would be awkward. Zhongli’s spoiled him plenty already. It isn’t his place to ask for more. It helps that Zhongli already knew about the guest room; he’d slept there when he stayed over during Mid-Autumn that time. 

“Do rest for a little more, though,” Zhongli advised, “You should be fine, but you still shouldn’t strain yourself too much.” 
“It does feel like... the fight didn’t happen, yes. I think I slept long enough already, so... at least let me help out a bit?”  
“Alright. In that case, can you help set up the table?”  

All this felt so... mundane. Domestic, even. Like everything up until then hadn’t happened and they were just having some sort of sleepover. Tartaglia doesn’t want to dwell on it. His mind and heart want to forget, just for a little while. Perhaps Zhongli is of the same mind as well. Maybe this is why he hadn’t minded doing all this. All of this is so terribly human. 

Dinner was a simple affair; just rice, the slow-cooked bamboo shoot soup, and takeaway chicken from Wanmin. The soup was easily the best part of the meal, though. Tartaglia just had to ask how Zhongli had made it; not only because he’s curious (maybe when he comes back to Snezhnaya, he can make it for his family...), but also so that the mealtime won’t be silent. 

Zhongli gladly told Tartaglia all about it in detail; part of him wanted to take notes, but a bigger part of him just wanted to listen attentively. The Harbinger swore that whenever Zhongli goes into one of his long tangents, time seemed to slow.  

Regarding the recipe, though, a lot of the ingredients are exclusively Liyuen – not just the bamboo shoot, but also the spices. But maybe some of the merchants in Snezhnaya have them. While Tartaglia can technically adapt the recipe using Snezhnayan ingredients, it won’t be the same. Maybe he can ask his parents to come to Liyue with the rest of the family. There are so many things he wants to show them... 

Before all this happened, he had always wanted to introduce his family to Zhongli. He’d written a lot about the Traveler, but he’d also written a lot about the consultant. His mother and sister teased him in their replies, as the ginger was clearly smitten. Now, he’d have to tell them that Zhongli “is going somewhere far, far away for his work.”  

Both of them were silent for a while as they washed the dishes, until Tartaglia spoke up. 

“You know, Xiansheng. Back before all this happened, I wanted to ask you to come back to Snezhnaya with me after this mission is finished.” 

Zhongli did not reply, but he turned to Tartaglia to silently indicate that he was listening.  

“I mean... you never seemed to have a family. And even though you’re knowledgeable and skilled at many things, somehow you’re working at a funeral parlour. I thought it was strange. You could easily fit within the ranks of the Qixing, but what do I know...” 

Zhongli let out a small chuckle, “What kind of image did you have of me, back then?” 

“I thought you’re one of those impoverished patrician types,” Tartaglia replied, “You know, that noble-fallen-on-hard-times stereotype? I pegged you as a runaway heir, or an estranged member of some blue blood or wealthy family. I got the feeling that there’s nothing truly tying you down to Liyue. Never in my life did I think that you’re... Rex Lapis.” 

The dishes done, they dried off their hands and sat together on the nearby couch for a little while.  

“Say, Xiansheng... if Vision holders have a chance to attain godhood and ascend to Celestia, do you think we have a chance if I get to that level?” 
Zhongli replied with amusement in his voice, “What is this now, Childe? You said you’d give it up if you lost, which you have. Are you going to break the contract and accept the Wrath of the Rock?” 
“Ah-ah, but when I ascend to godhood, I won’t be the same person as before. Tartaglia of the Fatui is giving up his pursuit of Zhongli-xiansheng, yes. But once I become, what, the next Hydro Archon or something, I won’t be the Fatui’s Tartaglia anymore, will I?” 
“You cheeky little rascal,” Zhongli responded with a chuckle, “I admit I can’t argue against that.” 
“So, do we have a contract?” 
Zhongli smiled fondly at the glimmering hope in Tartaglia’s eyes, and couldn’t help but ruffle his hair, “I don’t think that one needs a contract. We’ll see how it goes when you get there.” 
Tartaglia grinned at the affectionate gesture, “Just you wait, Xiansheng. And if you think Liyue ever needs another test, just give me a holler and I’ll come running.” 

Their little conversation over, both of them got off the couch. 

“Zhongli-xiansheng can just go take a shower. I’ll make up the guest room and lend some of my clothes to you.” 
“Thank you, Childe.” 

Both of them then went off to the guest room, which has a bathroom attached. But to their surprise – especially Zhongli’s – there was no mattress on the bed. It was just... an empty bed frame. 

“Childe? What happened to the bed?” 
“Oh... oooohhhh noooo...” 

After some time in disuse, Tartaglia had the mattress sent to the laundromat a few days ago for cleaning!!! It’s not going to be ready until next week!!!! AHHHH! 

“I... I forgot that I took it to the laundromat like three days ago...” 
“I see. I can still sleep on the couch, no problem.” 
“What??? That couch is so small! You’d end up sore all over tomorrow! And if you’re thinking of turning into a smaller version of the Exuvia, I can’t accept it! You’re not a house cat...” 
“But then the only alternative would be...” 

Tartaglia swallowed, his face red like fresh Jueyun chili peppers. Zhongli started to blush as well.  

“I mean... I’m not opposed to it, Xiansheng, but... are you? I still have a spare pillow...” 
“In that case... I do not mind. Thank you, Childe.” 

xIANSHENG PLS... TARTAGLIA SHOULD BE THE ONE THANKING HIM... 

“Aha, ha... well, you just go take your shower. I’ll get you some clothes, and take a shower myself. Hahaha...” 

And with that, Tartaglia whizzed away from the guest room, and into his own room. Before he could get to his wardrobe, he had to sit down for a bit. His heart is racing; this night has been wonderful. But he also wanted to cry; this is the first and last time they can be this close and unreserved with each other. 

If he had known that things would end like this, he would’ve taken more initiative when pursuing Zhongli all this time. His mother had suggested it, because based on Tartaglia’s descriptions of Zhongli, she was sure he’s not the only one who wants the consultant to himself. “He could be snatched away by a lady or another gentleman if you continue to dilly-dally like this,” she wrote.  

Tartaglia had told her that he’d need to take it slow, based on Zhongli’s personality. He might be turned off, or think that Tartaglia’s coming on too strong. Little did he know that his mother was right, even if it’s for the wrong reasons. If their love was doomed from the start, at least they could share more memories together. He’s never held Zhongli in his arms. They’ve never even held hands. 

Fighting the sobs threatening to spill from his chest, Tartaglia picked out some clean clothes in the wardrobe. He dropped them off in the guest room without saying anything before getting out of his clothes and into his bathroom. The moment he turned on the water, he finally let himself break down in tears.  

While he was researching the lore of Rex Lapis, Tartaglia would occasionally indulge in reading other stories and legends. One book in particular that he kept coming back to, though, was a collection of stories from Shenzhou, a nation from another world. He enjoyed reading them, from Painted Skin to Lord Ye and the Dragon. But the love stories tend to be... sad. 

Lady Meng Jiang lost her husband when he was conscripted to build a Great Wall. At some point, she travelled alone to bring winter clothes for her husband, only to find out that he had died due to the poor conditions at the construction site.  

She wept bitterly at the news. While her love is so great that it moved the Heavens, all it accomplished was reveal her husband’s bones where it got buried in the wall. No version of the story had Lady Meng Jiang’s husband alive and returning to his wife. 

The Cowherd and the Weaver were so in love with each other that they neglected their duties. For that, they were punished by the Heavens. They were doomed to be separated, and could only see each other once a year. They were the original star-crossed lovers.  

And then there was this one love story that Tartaglia found especially tragic: the story of the Butterfly Lovers. It started when Zhu Yingtai, a daughter of a noble family wanted to pursue education, in a time where education was for men only. Her father relented, but she had to crossdress to do so. She fell in love with another student who returned her feelings, Liang Shanbo. Yingtai and Shanbo pledged to be together forever, as lovers do. 

However, Yingtai’s father arranged for her to marry a wealthy merchant. Shanbo was heartbroken; his health gradually deteriorated until sickness claimed his life.  

The wedding between Zhu Yingtai and the merchant proceeded as planned at first, but strong winds prevented the wedding procession to go on beyond Liang Shanbo's grave. Yingtai stopped to pay respects to his grave, before breaking down and begging for her beloved’s grave to open up. With a clap of thunder, the grave indeed opened. Without hesitation, she leaped into the grave.   

Both Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo's spirits then emerged as butterflies. They flew away together, never to be separated again.  

It was a bittersweet ending. But somehow, it touched his heart a great deal – Zhu Yingtai was willing to throw away everything to follow Liang Shanbo to his grave, literally. Moreover, butterflies do not live long. The sweetness of being together would only last for about two weeks; the lifespan of an average butterfly is only that long.  

The two lovers trading everything they have for a fleeting period of sweetness with each other...    

Tartaglia doesn’t usually get sentimental over stories, but he hoped that the Butterfly Lovers can always find each other in their next lives, again and again.  

The first time he read the story, though, he had to bring it up to Zhongli. Perhaps the man knew of happier stories from Shenzhou. He desperately wanted to read or hear a love story with a happy ending. 

“Then, let me tell you about the story of Liu Yi and the dragon princess of Dongting Lake...”  

By the time Tartaglia finished his shower, he’d already calmed down. For now, forget about the future for a little while. Just focus on the present. 

Fortunately, it got easier for him when Zhongli knocked the door of his room. When Tartaglia opened the door, he was again greeted by a rare sight: Zhongli’s hair is down and his face is bare. While the red eyeliner looks absolutely stunning on him, there’s a different kind of appeal to his face being bare. It felt more... intimate.  

Without saying anything, both of them sat beside each other on the bed, looking out at the night sky.  

“Xiansheng, I’m curious about something.” Tartaglia broke the silence. 
“What is it?” 
“Well... if you never... planned on ‘approaching’ me, so to speak, then what’s with the Dragon and Fenghuang chopsticks?” 
“I... just thought it would be nice to have. Why do you ask?” 
“Um... apparently, chopsticks are part of the dowry from the bride’s family, to wish for the couple to stay together forever and have children quickly, among other things. And the dragon and fenghuang are, you know, among other things, symbols of happy marriage. So I thought...” 
“Ah. That was careless of me. I apologise. I never meant to lead you on.” 

This again, Zhongli thought. Another instance of his lack of foresight failing him. Not only in big things such as his retirement plan, but also in smaller scale things such as human emotions. Truly, he still has so much to learn— 

The smile Tartaglia flashed was a bit sad, “It’s fine. I will still treasure them and practice lots.” 
“Thank you, Childe. I... appreciate it.”  

The comfortable silence continued. Mostly because Tartaglia stilled his tongue. He had so many questions: how does Zhongli truly feel about him? If Liyue had succeeded and passed their test, what would he have done? Would they have a chance? Will they ever see each other again?  

His thoughts halted to a stop when he felt a weight on his shoulder. 

Tartaglia snapped out of his reverie, and noticed a tuft of brown hair on his shoulder – Zhongli had started to lean against it. It would seem like he’s starting to fall asleep.  

“Gods get tired too, huh...” the ginger remarked.  
Surprisingly, Tartaglia received a hum in response.  
“Heheh... well, let’s get you to bed, then.”  

Gently and carefully, Tartaglia helped position the tired god to lie on the bed, his head right on top of the spare pillow. As Zhongli shifted to get comfortable, Tartaglia tucked the blanket under his chin. It truly had been an eventful day for Zhongli. First, he had to help with cleaning up the remains of the aborted Rite of Parting. After that, he went to meet with the Traveler and Paimon. Just as he was done with that, Tartaglia himself dragged Zhongli to talk to, then fight him.  

Even though Tartaglia was the one who lost (and probably almost died), it was Zhongli who spent 4 hours dealing with him. He healed him, carried him home, went shopping to cook dinner for them both... 

For all Tartaglia’s talk of taking care of Zhongli, in the end he was likely as much (if not more) of a burden on him as everyone else. Well, he did help foot the Archon’s ridiculous purchases sometimes, so perhaps they’re even.  

All thoughts of it slowly disappeared, however, as Tartaglia watched Zhongli sleep. There’s something about watching the person you love sleep; unguarded, peaceful, vulnerable.  

The sight made Tartaglia’s heart swell. Yet it also made his heart sink.  

Despite all his power, Zhongli needs someone to take care of him – someone who can take care of him. But whoever that person is, it can’t be Tartaglia. He’s too small, too weak. And more importantly, he’s sworn his loyalty to the Tsaritsa. He has his own family to take care of as well. He is in no position to always put Zhongli first. It’s impossible for him to “trade everything for a moment of sweetness.”   

Maybe, in another parallel universe, in another possibility, Liyue can pass their test. Rex Lapis can retire peacefully and Zhongli will be a normal Liyuen just like everyone else. Maybe then the imbalance of power that separates them can be gone. 

The day had passed by exceedingly quickly. Soon, the sun will rise and everything... all this will be over. All this will be gone. The years had gone by quickly too. And without warning, it is slipping away. Tartaglia looked at the moon, and thought of Chang’e. Even with the Jade Rabbit keeping her company, does she still miss Hou Yi? And has Hou Yi somehow made his way to her, after all those years? 

“Xiansheng... if I was strong enough to shoot down nine suns, would we have had a chance?” 

Zhongli was already fast asleep. There was no response. It was fine. Tartaglia was content with just staring at his sleeping face until he fell asleep himself.  

--- 

“Childe, wake up. It’s morning.”  

Tartaglia opened his eyes – the first thing he saw was Zhongli sitting beside him on the bed, still in his sleeping clothes. The ginger couldn’t help but smile. Even if it’s the first and last time he woke up beside Zhongli, at least it happened. 

They carried on their morning rituals in silence. It was peaceful, but there was a small twinge of pain in Tartaglia’s heart. The smile he gave Zhongli was strained once the latter was fully dressed and ready to go. With a heavy heart, Tartaglia walked with him to the door. But before Zhongli opened it to leave, he turned towards him.  

“Childe - Ajax, listen to me.”  

Tartaglia’s eyes widened – how’d he know his real name, when he never told him?  

“Silly boy, don’t be too surprised. The powers of us Archons aren’t limited to just fighting.”  
“Haha... it’s... I mean. It was surprising. I never told you, after all... and it’s been so long since someone other than my family called me by my real name.” 
“Do you not like it?” 
“It’s okay if it’s you.” 

Zhongli smiled in response.  

“Anyways... Zhongli-xiansheng, I... I’m listening.”  

Before Zhongli said anything, though, he gently placed both hands on Tartaglia’s shoulders.  

“Ajax, do know that I am happy to have met you. We’ve done plenty of things together and shared many beautiful moments. But now, you will need to move on. Please forget me. Go do the things you want and fulfil your dreams. It’s time for everything and everyone to return to their rightful places.”  
“Haha... but I don’t want to forget you, Xiansheng. I... I’ll definitely let you go, as we had agreed on. But just because I can’t have you, it doesn’t mean that I’ll stop loving you.”  
“If that is so... I don’t have the right to stop you. But always remember to be kind to yourself.” 

With that, the hands on Tartaglia’s shoulders gently retreated.  

“Goodbye, Ajax. Take care.”  

As much as he wanted to, Tartaglia couldn’t say a word. He couldn’t say goodbye. Instead, he stared as Zhongli turned his back and opened the door. Tartaglia watched as the Archon stepped out of his residence, and continued to stare at his figure until he was no longer in his line of sight.  

Tartaglia spent the rest of the week in somewhat of a haze. Everything resumed as usual: business in Northland Bank, debt collecting, writing to his family. He’d written to them that Zhongli is leaving somewhere far away for his work and they aren’t likely to meet again. Somehow, it didn’t hurt too much writing it. Perhaps it’s because the Harbinger was already prepared.  

The streets of Liyue were filled with people eagerly talking about the Rite of Descension. Others talked about how Rex Lapis killed Osial for real, and how proud they are to be Liyuen, to live under the protection of the oldest and strongest Archon in Teyvat. Some gave Tartaglia dirty looks, but they averted their gazes when the Harbinger turned to them with a glare of his own.  

When the Rite of Descension was held, all businesses closed, Northland Bank included. And thus Tartaglia was stuck in his house, watching a pillar of golden light descend upon Yujing Terrace. And then, Rex Lapis descended. Unlike before, the Exuvia floated down gracefully from the sky.  

Suddenly, being banned from attending the Rite of Descension felt really, really painful. 

Tartaglia wanted to be there. He wanted to see Zhongli again. Even if their eyes don’t meet. Even if Zhongli – Rex Lapis – doesn't speak to him at all. Tartaglia just wanted to be there, to be near him.  

Without realizing it, he reached his hand out towards that distant pillar of golden light. But he knew more than anyone that his hand will never grasp anything.  

Chapter Text

After the Rite of Descension concluded, the city of Liyue was festive all around. The streets were littered with stalls. Families, couples, people of all ages roamed the city.  

Tartaglia, on the other hand, still remained in his residence, gazing mournfully at the night sky.  

His mind felt... empty. Numb. As curious as he was about the festivities outside, he didn’t want to go out. He didn’t want to go out only to find out that he can never bump into Zhongli again. This past week, he hasn’t seen the Archon at all whenever he’s outside. Not that it’s unexpected, but still-- 

There was a knock on his front door.  

With a sigh, Tartaglia walked away from the window, and to the front door. He is in no mood to receive guests today, maybe he can just— 

“Oh! You’re still alive!” 
“Paimon, please...”  

It was the Traveler, and Paimon. And they’re carrying... food?  

“Traveler?” 
“It’s me. How are you feeling?” 
“Depressed.”  
“I can imagine... I heard you got banned from attending the Rite of Descension. Paimon and I got you some food from the night market. We haven’t seen you for like, days. I thought you might be dead.” 
“Haha. As if I can die that easily. You should know for yourself how strong I am.” 
“Strong, yes. Crazy, also yes. How was it like, fighting Rex Lapis?” 

Tartaglia nearly choked on air – they had fought in an isolated spot! No one goes to Mingyun anymore! But then again... 

“How... what?” 
“Ah, um... we were completing a commission around the southwestern side of Dragonspine,” Paimon explained, “And once it’s over and done with, we teleported to the Rex Lapis statue in Mingyun Village, since that’s nearby. And probably grab some iron for Master Zhang while we’re at it.” 
The Traveler nodded, “Exactly. And uh... well, we um, saw... what you and Zhongli-xiansheng were doing. I swear the ground was shaking. Neither I nor Paimon wanted to die, so we quickly teleported somewhere else. What happened, exactly?” 

Ah, of course. Trust the Traveler to always be entangled in... these kinds of things. Tartaglia couldn’t help but give the two a fond, yet sad smile. Maybe talking to someone else about it will help.  

“Come in. I’ll tell you.”  

With that, he let the Traveler and Paimon inside. They placed the packaged food on the table, while Tartaglia walked to the kitchen to brew some tea. 

“Have a seat. I’ll brew you two some tea. But before you go around asking me questions, can I ask you about the Rite of Descension?” 
“Sure,” the Traveler hollered back from the dining table, “we’ll just unbox the food for you.”  
“That would be helpful, thank you.” 

As the water boiled, Tartaglia looked wistfully at the tea – it was a classic blend that was recommended to him by Zhongli, when he was just settling in Liyue. He could still remember when they first talked in Wangsheng Funeral Parlour all those years ago. 

Once the tea was finished, the ginger walked over to the dining table with the teapot and three cups. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the food – nevermind the rice, stir fry, and chop suey. What got him was the bamboo shoot soup in a container.  

“What’s wrong? Something in here you don’t like?” the Traveler asked.  
“No, I... nothing.” 
“Jeez, you must’ve gone through some serious trauma. Did the meteorite hit you on the head?” Paimon remarked. 
“More like my heart, but tell me about the Rite of Descension? Being banned sucks.”  

As the three of them ate, the Traveler and Paimon told him all about the Rite of Descension that was held just this morning. It was a marvellous sight – Rex Lapis descended in front of his people. There were predictions as expected, but there were also additional announcements. 

The first announcement was a request from Rex Lapis to please not bear prejudice against Snezhnayans – whatever the Fatui had done, he had taken care of it and went to their Archon personally. Even the Qixing had imposed restrictions on Northland Bank. As for the Fatui, the Cryo Archon will be the one doing the punishing. The people of Liyue need not hold grudges nor bear hatred.  

Ivanovich, the Snezhnayan merchant, was present at the Rite of Descension. He was at the very back of the crowd, but he openly wept when he heard Rex Lapis’s declaration. The surprised crowd edged away from him, and the merchant’s eyes met the Archon’s. The moment he was face to face with the deity, Ivanovich kowtowed to Rex Lapis and loudly thanked the Archon numerous times. A kind bystander had to help him get up and regain his bearings afterwards.  

The second announcement was Rex Lapis declaring that he wanted humans to take over matters of governing and commerce eventually. He envisioned an independent Liyue, who can make its own decisions and support itself for the most part. He and the rest of the adepti will need to always stand guard over Liyue to fight the enemies too big for humans to defeat, but he wanted Liyue to mature as a nation. The deity publicly commended Keqing for her forward way of thinking, and encouraged more people to follow her lead; never hesitate to act when you see something that can be improved, and always strive for excellence.

After those two announcements, the Rite of Descension soon concluded. Rex Lapis flew back up to the sky, eventually disappearing behind the clouds.  

Upon hearing all that, Tartaglia’s heart started to fill. Zhongli had gone out of his way to dispel any kind of prejudice against Snezhnayans. While he doesn’t care too much about strangers, it still was not pleasant when people whispered around him, or gave him dirty looks. Even if he’s not Liyuen, he feels that Zhongli – Rex Lapis – is still looking after him, protecting him. So this is how it’s like to be within his domain... 

He can only hope that Zhongli’s vision of an independent Liyue can come true eventually. If Tartaglia’s wish can’t come true, at least let Zhongli’s wish come true. Let him shed his burden. Let him be at peace, after millennia of strife and toil.  

“After the Rite of Descension, there was this really big market! Hehee... it was so fun. We played around lots. Everyone had fun, even the Qixing! Ningguang was drinking with Captain Beidou. And we saw Keqing lugging around a Rex Lapis plushie bigger than herself. It was so funny! Ganyu was walking with her, and they chatted lots. They looked like they were getting along really well. Everyone was happy, it was great! Paimon ate a lot of delicious snacks too...” Paimon rambled.  
“And somehow you still have room for more, even though you’re so small,” the Traveler commented, “But anyways, that’s about it. All in all, a wild ride, really.” 
“I can imagine... I’m happy for Ivanovich. He had nothing to do with all of this. Maybe me being banned from the Rite of Descension was an act of mercy...” Tartaglia replied.  
“So... since we’ve answered your questions. Do tell us, what exactly happened in Mingyun between you and Zhongli-xiansheng?” the Traveler asked.  

The Harbinger heaved a weary sigh, his lips forming a strained smile. He looked as if he was going to cry, and for a second the Traveler regretted asking that question.  

“I didn’t want to let him go.” was the first thing Tartaglia said. 
“Pardon?” Paimon asked.  
“I love him. He... Zhongli-xiansheng is my first love. But all this time, I never knew or even expected that he was Rex Lapis. He always lived alone, he never seemed to have a family, or close associates here. It was like... nothing truly tied him down to Liyue. I thought maybe, once my mission’s complete, I could ask him to come back to Snezhnaya with me, but...”  

Tartaglia had to stop and place a hand to cover his eyes. He couldn’t stop his tears from flowing down, and the sobs from leaving his chest.  

“What do I know? He’s Rex Lapis, and I’m a Fatui Harbinger sworn to serve the Tsaritsa. The way we are right now, we can never be together.” 
“So... that’s why you had that big fight in Mingyun...” the Traveler said. 
“Yeah. I made a contract with him. If I could win against him, he’ll need to keep me by his side. Zhongli-xiansheng decided that the win condition was for me to draw his blood, even one drop would count. But... I couldn’t even scratch him. Even after I pulled all the stops. Even after he handicapped himself without me asking him to. Can you believe that he didn’t even put up shields when he was fighting me, and only used the meteorite when I used Foul Legacy? I’ve never felt so small and weak since I was 14.”  
“Well, this is Rex Lapis we’re talking about...” Paimon remarked, “But then, how are you still in one piece?” 
“Because Rex Lapis is a kind and merciful deity,” Tartaglia responded, “He healed me and looked after me for the rest of the day. He left the morning after; even told me to forget him and move on with my life. Since then, I never saw him again.”  

The Traveler and Paimon went silent for a few moments as they let Tartaglia sob for a little more.  

“I’m sorry.” the Traveler said. 
“It’s fine,” Tartaglia responded, “You were concerned. And frankly, I feel a little bit better after talking to you about it. You have my thanks.”  
“Do you need some time alone, Childe?” Paimon asked.  
“I... not really. Actually, can you guys stay for a little longer? Of course, not until too late. I wouldn’t want to keep you. Plus the guest room is still uh, under renovations.” Tartaglia said. 
“Sure. The night is still long. I don’t want to sleep just yet. They said there’s going to be fireworks.” the Traveler responded. 

The three of them then sat together and sipped tea in silence. Paimon started to get sleepy and floated off to the couch to lie down, but not before she told them to wake her up when the firework show starts. 

“Traveler,” Tartaglia broke the silence, “Do you know of a nation from another world, called Shenzhou?” 
“Shenzhou... yes. I do. We came across that world at some point. It was full of abominations called Honkai. We couldn’t stay there for long, but it was memorable while it lasted.” the Traveler replied. 
“I see... how familiar are you with its stories?”  
“A little, I guess? I know the famous ones, and I’ve read some of them that’s made their way here. Why do you ask?” 
Tartaglia smiled wistfully, “I... I’ve been thinking. Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian had their happy ending, even if they had to wait until their son freed Bai Suzhen from Leifeng Pagoda. Liu Yi and the dragon princess of Dongting Lake ended up married to each other and eloping to Dongting Lake. Even the Cowherd and the Weaver got to see each other once a year. Where did I go wrong? Why... why isn’t there a happy ending? For me and Zhongli-xiansheng.” 
“Well... they’re not on different sides of a conflict, that’s for one.” the Traveler answered.  
“Hah! That’s true. But still, I can’t help but feel a bit jealous,” Tartaglia said before covering his eyes with both hands, “And neither of us can abandon our positions. Zhongli-xiansheng can’t abandon Liyue; likewise, I can’t just desert on the Tsaritsa or leave my family.” 
“You know the answer already,” the Traveler remarked, “But you’re looking for alternative solutions, aren’t you? Judging from the situation, though, it sounds like a dead end. So what do you plan to do?” 

Tartaglia interlaced his fingers before placing his hands on the table, “That’s... Zhongli-xiansheng had told me to move on and forget him. But I don’t want to. I can’t.” 
“Those kinds of things take time, Childe,” the Traveler said, “Some things you can’t let go. Others you have to let go. As painful as it might sound to you, I kind of agree with Zhongli-xiansheng. Unless some miracle happens, you guys... can’t get together. Even if for some reason you can get together, you’ll die way before he does. And when that happens, Zhongli-xiansheng will mourn for you for who knows how long.”  
Tartaglia sighed, “You’re right... I had been thinking about it too. If I had been selfish. If I was too forceful, too inconsiderate of Zhongli-xiansheng's situation. Maybe I haven’t fully accepted that he’s Rex Lapis. Maybe I was too convinced that I can take on anything, and haven’t... fully known my place or position.”  

The memories of last week’s fight were still vivid in Tartaglia’s mind. Zhongli had given himself handicaps; not only did he not use his shield, he also only used a fraction of his full power. And it was clear from the expression on his face that Zhongli was really, really afraid that he would accidentally kill Tartaglia. As if he was handling a fragile ceramic or glass vase.  

Tartaglia, the Eleventh Fatui Harbinger, fragile? Not in a million years, he always thought... unless his opponent is Rex Lapis. 

The Traveler sipped their tea, “You know... if it helps, I had learned why people in Shenzhou use incense to pray to their gods. Since Shenzhou and Liyue are culturally near-identical, I figure it might apply. I’m not sure, though. You can reconfirm with the locals if you want to.”  
Tartaglia chuckled, “Haha, I actually already know, but I didn’t think of it until you mentioned it now.” 
“Really? Zhongli-xiansheng probably told you at some point, did he?”  
“Yeah. He did.”  
“What’d he tell you?”  
“I... don’t remember the exact wording, but basically, the smoke of the incense carries your prayer or petition to the Heavens, provided you have a sincere heart and faith.” 
The Traveler nodded, “Yeah, sounds about right. That’s what they believe in Shenzhou too. I haven’t seen it in Liyue, but the people of Shenzhou burned paper money, paper houses, paper servants, and other paper stuff for their late ancestors in the afterlife. Maybe it’s not that time of the year yet. Anyways, if it helps, maybe you can go to Yujing Terrace and... pray. To Rex Lapis.”  
Tartaglia looked down at his hands and smiled to himself, “Yeah. Yeah, I should.” 

Soon enough, the first firework was launched into the sky. The Traveler got off their seat to wake up Paimon, and the three watched the fireworks together. While the Traveler and Paimon marvelled over the very noisy light show, Tartaglia immersed himself in thought as he gazed at the fireworks.  

His thoughts come back to Hou Yi, who remained devoted to Chang’e, offering her mooncakes and prayers every year. He thought of Xu Xian, who kept Bai Suzhen close to his heart, even though she may never be freed from Leifeng Pagoda. And then his thoughts drift to the Cowherd and the Weaver, who patiently wait to see each other once every year. After which he thought of the dragon princess of Dongting Lake, who kept loving Liu Yi until it was time for their paths to cross again. For years, they held on to their love, never letting go until the end— 

Devotion. That’s what all those tales boil down to. 

But at this point, Tartaglia doesn’t really care for a happy ending anymore. All he knew is that he loves Zhongli. Even if he can’t have him, he still loves him. Perhaps the Traveler and Zhongli were right; he might have to let go eventually. But Tartaglia doesn’t see it happening anytime soon.  

How does a mortal love a god?   

After the last fireworks were lit and launched, the Traveler and Paimon soon teleported off to Wangshu Inn, but not before they told Tartaglia to go out sometime, preferably while the night market still lasts. Unable to sleep, Tartaglia went over to his bookshelf and took out a few books on Liyue’s religious practices.  

As he read them, a fond smile formed on his face. Maybe he couldn’t help but imagine that Zhongli was reading to him. Or maybe this one of his many steps to get as close to Zhongli as he could. Not even he is sure. Even so, he read on until his eyelids grew heavy and he had to go to bed. 

“Xiansheng, what are they offering incense for?” 
“They’re praying, Childe. Petitioning the heavens.” 
“I know, but what is the incense for? Why do Liyuens use incense to pray?” 
“Because we believe that as long as we pray with faith and sincerity from the bottom of our hearts, the smoke of the incense will carry our prayers and petitions to the gods.” 
“I see...” 
“Why don’t you pray too, Childe? I know you’re not Liyuen, but no one’s forbidding foreigners from praying to the gods. Not all prayers and petitions can be granted, but if you don’t wish for something, no one will know that you want it.” 

Tartaglia just laughed without saying anything more. He couldn’t tell Zhongli-xiansheng that his mission is to somehow take Rex Lapis’s Gnosis. It would be... awkward, and weird to pray to a deity whose core he will take someday.   

But maybe he can give it a try...  

“Sure, Xiansheng, I don’t see why not.”   

He remembered Zhongli helping him get a stick of incense and teaching him how to pray and bow properly. Tartaglia still remembered the wish he made back then:  

“I hope Zhongli-xiansheng and I will be together forever.”  

The Harbinger didn’t say it out loud. He couldn’t, not when the subject of his affection is right next to him.   

“So what did you wish for, Childe?” 
“It’s a secret! For Rex Lapis’s eyes only. Hahahahahah!” 

The memories replayed in his mind when Tartaglia was standing in front of the incense burner in Yujing Terrace the next day. How many years has it been since he made that wish? 

And yet in the end, Zhongli didn’t even know how Tartaglia felt about him until the latter told him directly. Maybe he wasn’t sincere enough. That’s likely it. He remembered that he only raised the petition “just for fun,” and probably didn’t have enough faith. 

Grasping the incense sticks, he lit them, and then bowed before reciting his message internally.  

“Hello there, Zhongli-xiansheng. It’s me, Ajax.  

I know you told me to forget you, but I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon. The Traveler even said so; they said letting go is a process. I met them yesterday after the Rite of Descension. We talked and watched the fireworks together. They were beautiful. I wish you were there.   

Where are you, Xiansheng? Are you up there in the Heavens? Are you roaming somewhere in Liyue, appraising a business? I hope you’re doing well. Don’t overwork yourself.   

The Traveler told me about the Rite of Descension. I have to thank you for addressing the prejudice against Snezhnayans. Before the Rite of Descension, I got dirty looks from the locals; some of them whispered, even. But after your declaration, it was just gone. I could go out in peace again, kind of. I just wish I wasn’t banned from attending the rite.   

I... I want to see you again, Zhongli-xiansheng. I wish I was there. I wish I could be near you. Even if you don’t say a word to me. Even if our eyes don’t meet, it’s fine. I just want to see you again. I want to spend a little more time with you.   

The truth is, I’m still... I still don’t want to say goodbye. I’m still not ready to, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to.   

I’m sorry if I was selfish towards you, Xiansheng. I don’t truly understand yet; how does a mortal love a god? But I’m willing to try. I want to get as close to you as I can, at least in this life. If I can’t overcome my mortality in this life, then I hope you’ll let me find you in my next life too.   

More than anything, I want to learn how to love you properly.  

Take care, Zhongli-xiansheng.”  

Once he was done reciting his prayers, Tartaglia opened his eyes. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and he stared at the smoke from his incense that floated up to the sky. 

And that’s when he realized that this is as close to Zhongli as he is ever going to get. 

Never again will they bump into each other in the streets. Tartaglia can no longer visit Wangsheng Funeral Parlour and find the consultant there. Their occasional lunch and dinner appointments have become a thing of the past. Nor will Tartaglia be able to listen to Zhongli sharing trivia with him again. And more than anything, he can't ever see Zhongli smile at him anymore. 

The sorrow and longing that had been buried within his heart burst out like a volcano erupting. Disregarding the people around him, Tartaglia broke down in tears right in front of the incense burner.  

“Isn’t that the Fatui Harbinger who manages Northland Bank or something?” 
“Yanwang Dijun was right, we shouldn’t make things harder for the Fatui. They’re taking everything badly enough as they are. Poor thing... he must be so grateful. That’s why he’s crying like this.” 
“That’s right, that’s right! The Snezhnayan merchant was like this too at the Rite of Descension.” 
“You have a point, but something feels off.” 
“What do you mean? It’s quite clear that he’s grateful that Dijun didn’t issue the order to execute or deport him...” 
“The way he’s crying... it’s like he’s heartbroken. Like he’s mourning lost love.” 
“Ahh... maybe he fell in love with someone from Liyue, and now because of what he did, they can’t get together.” 
“In a way, it’s tragic, isn’t it? In the end he’s just a soldier doing whatever his Archon told him to. Poor, poor thing...” 
“Come on, let’s leave him alone.” 

The hushed whispers of the people around him went unheard to Tartaglia, who could only hear his own sobbing, and the voice in his heart. 

“I want to see you again, Zhongli-xiansheng. Let me love you properly this time.” 

After a few minutes, Tartaglia stopped crying and wiped his tears. He stayed there until the incense sticks were all burnt. He then returned home, and buried himself underneath his blanket.  

In his dream, he was standing in front of Wangsheng Funeral Parlour. Tartaglia anxiously opened the door, and his heart overflowed with joy when he saw Zhongli in front of his desk.  

His amber eyes shone with love and fondness as the consultant smiled at him. The Harbinger wasted no time dashing over to Zhongli, and gave him a big, tight hug. With a small laugh, the consultant returned the hug and stroked his back. 

“Ajax, you silly boy, don’t be so scared. I won't be going anywhere.” 
“Really, Xiansheng?” 
“Really.” 
“Then, let’s make a pinkie promise—” 

And then, Tartaglia opened his eyes. The sun was already setting when he woke up alone on his bed. The sweet dream was over.  

With a sigh, the ginger left his bed. He was starting to get sick of cooping himself up at home. He remembered the Traveler telling him that the night market and fireworks will last until the next week or so. Maybe the change of scene can help him forget, just for a little while.  

He washed his face, drank some water, and left his house.  

The night markets of Liyue were always bustling with activity. But somehow, this one is much more festive than the usual. It’s likely because the entire city witnessed their Archon kill an old god last week. They basically witnessed history.  

Tartaglia walked around the night market. He came across two boys walking together – one with light blue hair, another with dark blue hair. He smiled wistfully; they seemed to be having fun. Or at least, the dark blue-haired boy is. He was holding a red hot spicy skewered meat and teasingly offering it to the boy with light blue hair. The latter just rolled his eyes and continued to eat his ice cream.  

“Xiansheng, I made this for you!” 
“Ch-Childe... what is... that?” 
“Whoa, Zhongli-xiansheng, why do you look like you just saw a ghost? It’s just octopus and crab soup...” 
“Ah, um... I’m sorry to say this to you, but... I hate seafood. Really, really hate seafood...” 
“Eeeeeh??!?!?” 

Tartaglia chuckled to himself at the memory. He then walked some more, passing by Vlad and Nadia, the two guards of Northland Bank. They were sitting together and talking, like they had no care in the world. They were so entranced with each other that they didn’t notice the Harbinger passing by them. As happy as he is for them, the sight made Tartaglia’s heart hurt. He walked away from the crowds, towards the quieter edge of Liyue Harbour. 

But who is he kidding? This is a night market. Even in the quietest corners, there will still be people.  

From the distance, he could see a young woman looking out towards the sea; she stood out because of the glowing amber tips in her dark brown hair. He walked closer, and noticed that she was wearing an elegant black gown with brown and gold accents.  

Tartaglia’s heart raced, and he walked closer towards her, eventually getting close enough to call out to her. 

“Excuse me, Xiaojie...” 

And then she turned around to face him. Her Cor Lapis eyes met his. The moment Tartaglia laid eyes on the familiar, beautiful face, he knew... 

“Would you like to watch the fireworks with me tonight?” 

Tartaglia then gingerly reached out his hand towards her. The young woman let out a small laugh, her voice familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. And then, she placed her hand in his.  

“The pleasure is mine, Ajax.” 

Chapter Text

“Even so... it doesn’t matter what you are. Even if you’re Rex Lapis Morax, the oldest Archon in Teyvat, you’ll always be Zhongli-xiansheng to me. And I know for sure that when I love someone, like hell I’m going to leave them alone to suffer!”  

With that, Tartaglia completed his Foul Legacy transformation. 

Zhongli knew he had to finish this fast before Tartaglia ends up killing himself from the strain. The Harbinger had already been battered. Yet he still got up, again and again. Risking his life for something so little... 

Instead of charging forward like Zhongli expected him to, Tartaglia instead fired as many Hydro arrows as he could. It almost looked like falling rain. The Archon simply leaped upwards really high to dodge them, and barely managed to float unscathed above the arrows before they descended to the ground in a curve. 

But when he looked down to the ground, Tartaglia was nowhere to be found.  

Before Zhongli could turn back to look for his opponent, there was a sharp pain on his right calf. He looked down and saw that Tartaglia’s electro polearm was spinning – whizzing by his leg.  

For Zhongli, time seemed to stop to a standstill as he took off one glove and lifted his right leg to examine the wound. It stung when he touched it. When he brought his bare hand to his face, he saw red. 

“How... how can this be?”  

And then, the levitating Zhongli turned back to see Foul Legacy Tartaglia floating behind him, below him. Even though his face was covered by whatever that mask is, he could see that the Harbinger had been waiting expectantly for Zhongli to show him the outcome of the battle.  

The moment Tartaglia spotted the pale hand, stained blood red, he knew... 

“Haha... hahahahaha... hahahahahaha! I can’t believe it... I won... I won!”  

Tartaglia laughed almost maniacally at the sight of Zhongli’s bare hand with red staining his fingertips. His sight went downwards, towards the bleeding cut on the Archon’s right leg. His objective complete, Tartaglia’s subconscious let relief overwhelm him. 

His Foul Legacy transformation dissipated right there, and he started to fall backwards from the sky.  

“Childe!” 

The exhausted Harbinger couldn’t help but smile when Zhongli called his name. As his eyes closed, he was able to see Zhongli swooping towards him. Before his consciousness fully drifted off, Tartaglia felt himself being caught in a firm embrace. 

When Tartaglia came to, he was on his bed. It was nighttime, and the lights were on. He could see that he was all alone in the bedroom. He didn’t feel any of the wounds he’d sustained – Zhongli had probably healed him. All he felt instead was some drowsiness and fatigue. 

But after a few minutes, he was able to recall the last moments of the fight.  

He’d managed to outsmart Zhongli; first, he used his Hydro arrows as a diversion. And when Zhongli was focused on dodging the onslaught of arrows, he would whizz to Zhongli’s back, and throw an Electro polearm as high as the arrows could reach.  

Part of him was afraid it wouldn’t work as Zhongli had foiled his first diversion trick, but it did; the polearm had inflicted a gash on Zhongli’s leg. 

I actually managed to scratch Rex Lapis, Tartaglia thought. Even if Zhongli had given himself handicaps, in the end he’s still a 6000-year-old martial god.  

Achievement aside, doesn’t this mean that he gets to keep Zhongli to some extent?  

Upon realizing it, the ginger’s head was filled to the brim with relief as he smiled widely. Although he couldn’t help but wonder where the other man had gone. Obviously, he was the one who took the heavily wounded and unconscious Tartaglia home. The fact that he was completely fine like the fight never happened also meant that the Archon used his powers to heal him some time before.  

Did Zhongli just drop him off and leave? It can’t be, right? Zhongli-xiansheng isn’t that kind of ice-cold person. 

Tartaglia sat up, and started to look around in his bedroom. He quickly noticed two brown bundles on top of his desk. Upon getting off the bed and approaching the table, he grinned when he saw that those bundles were Zhongli’s neatly folded coat, vest, and tie. The ginger excitedly left the bedroom, and immediately smelled something really delicious coming from his kitchen-- 

“Childe, you shouldn’t move around too much.” 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! ZHONGLI-XIANSHENG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

“I can’t help it,” Tartaglia replied as he started walking towards the kitchen, “You know how I am--” 

oh, tsaritsa. 

just as tartaglia thought he couldn’t malfunction any more than this. 

what greeted him in the kitchen was... was... 

first things first! tartaglia was lucky that zhongli-xiansheng was focusing on whatever he’s cooking. because... he’s dressed down. no vest, no coat. just the dress shirt and pants. which meant that his... plump posterior... was not covered by the usually ever-present coattails.  

and so. tartaglia's brain turned itself off.  

BECAUSE!!! EVEN IF HE WON’T ADMIT IT IF ASKED!!! he... kind of wanted to see That Ass. It’s just... he noticed sometimes how... curvy Zhongli-xiansheng is down there and because Tartaglia is a healthy young man, he... kind of wants to... confirm it for himself???  

and oh lord morax almighty does he want to squeeze That Ass. but he won’t, because it’s crossing the line. so he settled for staring. Very Intently.  

thank you, tsaritsa.  

“Zhongli-xiansheng,” Tartaglia said, his brain-to-mouth filter having been obliterated, “Is this a dream? Have I died and gone to heaven?”  
Zhongli responded with a laugh – it sounded like angels singing to Tartaglia’s ears, holy Archons – and turned back to face him, “Silly boy. This is still the land of the living. Although maybe, you might as well be in heaven. You won, after all. Congratulations.” 

Tartaglia hummed as he looked downwards. Zhongli’s leg is perfectly fine. Even the trouser leg looked as pristine as ever. Warmth and relief pooled in his heart – the wound was fortunately trivial for Rex Lapis, after all.  

“You’re right, Xiansheng. I’m so happy I could die.” Tartaglia replied with a big grin on his face.  
Zhongli lightly pinched the other’s cheek, “Don’t go around saying things like that.” 
“Ehe... but it’s a common phrase, Xiansheng. What should I have said? You tell me.”  
“Just omit the dying part, and it will be perfectly fine.” Zhongli responded amusedly as he turned back towards the boiling pot.  

With a satisfied hum, Tartaglia wrapped his arms around Zhongli’s waist and buried his face into the latter’s hair. But his bliss lasted for only a second, and Tartaglia suddenly loosened his grip and stopped burying his face in Zhongli’s hair. 

“Ahh, um... sorry, I... was that okay?”  
“Yes, it is. No need to worry. When I need to move, I’ll let you know.” 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA........................................ 

tartaglia could swear that his soul isn’t in his body anymore. he’s sure his soul is running laps around the room, screaming to the top of its astral lungs. but somehow, that soul can still maintain its link to his body. 

“Xiansheng,” Tartaglia said as he craned his head sideways, “Can we have a nice long talk after this? I have... a few questions to ask you.”  
“Ah, that reminds me,” Zhongli replied, his eyes still looking at the boiling pot, “I was hoping it wouldn’t inconvenience you if I stay the night here, as it’s already quite late. But since you have questions for me, perhaps you’d prefer it if I stay?” 

oh... it’s just one boon after another, is it?  

they haven’t slept under one roof since mid-autumn that time.  

although... that’s mostly tartaglia’s own fault, ish. while his mother had advised him to take more initiative in pursuing zhongli (he’s written a lot about the consultant, okay????? because he’s smitten!!!!!), tartaglia wrote back to her that he’d rather take it slow. because he thought, based on zhongli’s personality, it would turn him off for tartaglia to come on too strong.  

he’s not sure if his patience paid off, or if it has nothing to do with patience and more towards luck. but!!! things are finally progressing! to the right direction!!!!! 

“Please stay,” came the reply from the ginger, “I would like it very much.” 
“Thank you, Childe.” Zhongli responded.  
Tartaglia smiled, and pressed himself closer to Zhongli without saying anything. 

He let his mind float, taking in the atmosphere around him. It’s so very domestic. Tartaglia had dreamed about something like this for a long time. Time seemed to slow, even stop. Zhongli felt so soft and warm. Tartaglia’s big residence didn’t feel too spacious anymore.  

His thoughts drift to the guest room in his house. Yes, perhaps he’ll still need to take it slow. While it’s obvious that Zhongli cares about him, Tartaglia’s feelings towards Zhongli were not something the consultant had expected. Yet he accepted it nevertheless. One thing Tartaglia wanted to ask him is: does Zhongli actually return his feelings, or does he only see Tartaglia as a junior of sorts? In short, does Zhongli like him romantically or platonically? Tartaglia felt his heart race a bit in anxiety and anticipation. 

If Zhongli only liked him platonically... maybe he can try slowly steering it, if the other is open to it. If he’s not, however...  

meh. he’ll think about it later.  

And that was when Tartaglia noticed that inside the boiling pot was ham and... bamboo shoots. He does not stock bamboo shoots in his pantry. Which means... 

“Xiansheng, did you go shopping while I was out?” 
“Yes, I did. It was a brief trip.” 
“Um... how long had I been out?” 
“About 2-3 hours.” 

Suddenly, Tartaglia felt part of his heart sink. He’d really caused trouble for Zhongli, hadn’t he? Yes, he had won the fight. But Zhongli had to clean up all the mess. And that’s after he’d had to clean up the remains of the aborted Rite of Parting, and then meet up with the Traveler and Paimon... 

“Are you tired, Zhongli-xiansheng?” Tartaglia’s voice came out slightly hushed. Guilt was clearly audible in his words.  
“A little, but I’ll be fine. No need to worry.”  
“Is there anything I can do to help you, at least? You’ve gone through a lot of trouble for me today.” 
“Hmmm... maybe you can help set up the table?” 

Eager to make up for the trouble he had caused, Tartaglia let go of Zhongli and started setting up the table. When it was done, he asked Zhongli what else he could help with, and took care of it. It was mostly menial things such as washing the knife and cutting board, and taking out the trash.  

However, the soup still needed time to simmer. So the both of them sat together in front of the table as they waited for the soup to be done.  

“So, Childe,” Zhongli said, “You have questions for me?” 
“Well, yeah. Are you sure you’re fine with discussing it now? I mean, I am if you are, but... are you?” 
“There’s nothing else to do but wait until the soup is finished. Unless you’d rather talk about something else?” 
“Aha... I’m actually still kind of nervous, but...” Tartaglia exhaled, “I’ll need to ask these questions eventually, so...” 
“Alright then.”  

The first question Tartaglia wants answered the most is also the one hardest to ask. He took a deep breath, and... 

“I know you never expected me to... fall for you, but... how do you actually feel about me?”  

Zhongli’s eyes widened slightly, but then his usual poker face came back. It’s as if he was surprised, yet not surprised at the same time. 

“I mean...” Tartaglia continued, flustered, “I don’t want to, like, force you or push you into a relationship that you don’t want. I want to know how you feel, too.” 

Silently, the Archon brought a hand to his face in contemplation. Waiting anxiously (yet somewhat patiently) for his answer, Tartaglia studied Zhongli’s expression to try and find a hint. Seconds felt like hours until finally... 

“I... am not sure.” 
“Eh?” 
“While I do care about you and enjoy your company, I simply never thought of ‘taking it to the next level,' so to speak. I told myself that any relationship development must wait until the end of Liyue’s trial, as it would determine my ultimate position.” 
“Ah, I see...” 
“Furthermore, just like how I am bound to Liyue, you are bound to Snezhnaya. To your Tsaritsa, and your family. I knew you’ll have to leave eventually, so I... told myself not to get too attached to you. Never have I thought that things would turn out this way.” 

Oh, yes. That’s right.  

Tartaglia looked back to the letter the Tsaritsa had sent to Northland Bank this morning. He was to report back to her in some time. It’s not urgent, but he’ll need to be away from Liyue for quite a long time. And even then he doesn’t know if he can ever come back... 

He’d won the right to stay by Zhongli’s side. But how can he... 

“I understand, Zhongli-xiansheng. I may have won the fight, but it doesn’t mean I can force you or myself to do things neither of us want. I just don’t want to lose you or let you go. Even if we can only see each other once a year, even if you prefer us to be just friends, then I’ll accept it.” 

Zhongli looked surprised for a second, before his lips formed a somewhat exasperated smile.  

“Childe. Just because I wasn’t aiming for a romantic relationship between us, it doesn’t mean I am opposed to it.” 
“Eh?” Tartaglia blurted out, his eyes brightening a little.  
“We can try to work this out, so to speak. But of course, there are a few conditions before we can proceed.” 
Tartaglia couldn’t help but chuckle at how businesslike Zhongli’s language is, “Hahaha... of course, of course. Our positions aren’t exactly... conducive for a normal relationship. Let’s hear it.” 
“First and foremost, I cannot divulge any confidential or important information regarding Liyue,” Zhongli answered, “Likewise, I will not ask you about important information on Snezhnaya. In short, we separate personal and business affairs. And as I previously told you, Liyue will always come first to me. You are also free to put Snezhnaya and your family first. Do you consent?” 
Tartaglia nodded, “Yeah. I agree.” 
“Good. Secondly, I’m quite sure both of us know that we will be unable to be physically together all the time. We will likely be physically separated more often than not. Which is why I have devised a way for us to keep in touch with each other.”  

Once Zhongli was finished speaking, he took out a matching set of lockets from his pocket. He opened both of them, revealing small mirrors. The other side of the locket was adorned with glowing crystals. Tartaglia could feel potent magic radiating from the crystals.  

“I hope you do not mind keeping one of these with you at all times,” Zhongli said as he handed one locket to Tartaglia, “As I will keep one with me at all times as well. Not only as it functions as a communication device, it also has defensive properties.” 
“Ohh! Haha... of course I’d love to,” Tartaglia replied as he held the locket in his hand, “I was worried that we’d need to communicate through letters, but... this is amazing! Thank you so much, Zhongli-xiansheng.” 
“You’re welcome. Since you consent to this, let’s move on to the third and final condition, shall we?” 
“Alright, sure.” Tartaglia beamed. 
“Take care of yourself.” 

That “final condition” stunned Tartaglia into silence. He could feel a heavy weight on his back as he remembered that Rex Lapis had lost so many people important to him. Guizhong, five of the original Seven Archons, and even four guardian Yakshas. If they are to be close, then... 

“I... Xiansheng, I am not opposed to this. But... if I die in the line of duty...” 
“That’s where the locket comes in.”  

The Harbinger suddenly recalled something he read while researching about Liyuen culture and lore – tales of jade and other precious stones guarding their owners from harm. In some cases, the jade and stones break while the owners survive.  

“I am asking you not to abuse the powers of that locket,” Zhongli explained, “Just because I intend to protect you, it doesn’t mean you can act recklessly and constantly put your life in danger.” 
“Ah... I see. In that case, I accept these terms.” 

At that moment, Tartaglia felt like a deflated Anemo slime. For all his talk of taking care of Zhongli, in the end the Archon ends up being the one pampering him. From small things such as carrying him back home and tending to him, to big things such as... this. It was Zhongli who did most of the work, at least for now.  

Tartaglia’s expression was unreadable as he gazed at the locket in his hands.  

“Childe, are you alright?” 
“I... yeah, just...”  

The ginger stopped speaking for a few seconds as he gripped the locket a little tighter.  

“It’s just the first time I feel... protected, I guess.”  

His mind drifted to the fairy tales he used to read as a child: the princess giving the prince or knight some kind of trinket to protect him from harm. Of course, like all children’s stories end, the prince or knight returns to the kingdom safely, into the princess’s waiting arms.  

“It feels good,” Tartaglia elaborated some more, “But at the same time, I... I talked quite big about taking care of you. In the end, purchasing shenanigans aside, you’re the one taking care of me much more.” 
“I am also aware of the power imbalance between us. But I intend to put it aside. After all, with you, I... I don’t need to be Yanwang Dijun.”  

Ah, yes, that’s right. Isn’t that why Zhongli retired in the first place? So he doesn’t need to be Rex Lapis anymore. So he can live life as himself. Just Zhongli.  
Perhaps Tartaglia really was onto something when he said that the Archon will win something even if he lost. Tartaglia won the fight, yes, but he also won Zhongli a little space to be himself. To get away from the hustle, the toil, the burden. Even if it’s for a little while.  

Smiling, Tartaglia gently took Zhongli’s gloved hands in his. 

“Let’s make this work, Zhongli-xiansheng.”  

What happened next made Tartaglia's heart float all the way to the heavens.  

Zhongli... smiled. Not like the usual smiles, but he looked... elated. Like he’s about to cry from happiness. It’s as if the walls he’d built around him finally crumbled. That he’s happy to be able to let himself be vulnerable, to have someone catches him when he falls.  

“Ah, since we’re... dating now, right? I uh, want to tell you something important...” Tartaglia said.  
“What is it, Childe?” 
“Well, it’s... my real name. My real name is Ajax. You can still call me Childe if you want to, but if you want to use my real name, it’s... it’s okay too. It’s okay if it’s you, Xiansheng.”  

… 

… 

… 

The scene was reflected in a small crystal clear, water-like sphere floating in Zhongli’s hand. After tending to the defeated Tartaglia, he took a bit of time to himself. He went to look around in the Sea of Quanta, the rift of infinite possibilities and alternate universes, or bubble universes.  

Zhongli had gone to look for a bubble universe where Liyue had passed his test. And sure enough, while everything was all good at first, the Traveler pointed out the consequences of the loss of his Gnosis. In the end, it was for the greater good that Liyue had failed.

While traversing through the Sea of Quanta some more, he came across a bubble universe where Tartaglia won their fight. Even if it was comforting, if not tempting, it’s still not his universe. It’s not his reality. 

The best he could do was replicate it into a mere droplet from the Sea of Quanta.  

Gently and carefully, he lowered the droplet of possibility, placing it inside the sleeping Tartaglia’s forehead.  

At least before he wakes up to a harsh reality, let him have a sweet dream or two...